‘If the doorman comes to say goodbye to you, you've done well as a director’
As a director, Willem Geerlings made plans for the new Erasmus MC for seven years. Yet, to his regret, he had to decline the invitation to the festive opening of the building in 2019. He already had an appointment with his student friends from 50 years ago. ‘That says something about my University years’.
Geerlings belongs to one of the first generations of Rotterdam medical students. He began studying in 1969, when he was 19. What followed was a career as an internist-nephrologist and various management positions in health care, including at Erasmus MC. His ties with Rotterdam remained strong. ‘When I was on the supervisory board of the Amsterdam UMC together with a fellow Rotterdammer, we had to be careful not to constantly mention Rotterdam.’
Let’s go back in time for a moment. Why did you choose to study medicine as a 19-year-old?
‘When I was about 13 years old, the idea came to me that I should become a doctor, although I had few ideas about it at the time. I do remember reading Paul de Kruif's book: Bacterienjagers. As a child I already had a good relationship with the family doctor, perhaps because I was hospitalized for a while for a childhood illness. I don't want to tell a tear-jerking story, but I'm sure that played a part. But choosing medicine was not a sacred duty for me.'
So you began studying without a clear vocation. What did you think of the study?
'I remember exactly when I started to like it. That was when I was explained the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation for blood gas analysis. Professionally, the discovery of pathophysiology and pathochemistry is what I hold most dear. And the Saturday morning practicals with Professor van Eijk: I also look back on those with great pleasure. The attention paid to science and the basic subjects in medical studies is what I like about Rotterdam. But ultimately my fondest memories come from the social aspect of the study.'
Please tell, what did you do?
'At the start of the study, you were assigned two mentors, a fourth-year and sixth-year student. Rotterdam was very practical in this: we were assigned in alphabetical order. I ended up in a group of about six or seven. We called ourselves ‘The Black Hand’, from Pietje Bell. None of us were active members of a student association and we did a lot of things together. A few friends lived on a ship, the Seven Seas, so we often went there for dinner. We played soccer in the sports hall at the Oudlaan in the team EDMDDB: ‘Eerst De Man Dan De Bal’. This club has continued to exist.'
Do you still see each other?
'Yes we do. You know how it is with friend groups: people join and people drop out, but we still get together twice a year with the club and our partners. I even skipped the festive opening of the new Erasmus MC to celebrate our 50th anniversary of our friendship. That says something about our friendship bond. I was invited to the opening as a co-creator of the new hospital. As a member of the
Board of Governors of Erasmus MC, I was allowed to lead the construction plans for the new hospital from 2000 to 2007, together with staff members. That was a special time, because we sought, found and further developed specific, almost academic knowledge of hospital construction. Liesbeth van Heel played a major role in doing that. The ideas for single rooms and the roof gardens, for example, originated from that time. I eventually left before construction started. I remember my wife asking: should you do that, quit while the plans are still being executed? But I was confident in a happy ending.'
You are trained as an internist-nephrologist, but eventually became a healthcare administrator. How did that work out?
‘I had been working as an internist-nephrologist for years when I got a call from a recruiter who said, "I heard you were interested in a board position." That was correct, but I had two conditions: it had to be an academic center and the organization had to resonate with me. I only had that feeling with Rotterdam and Groningen. That worked out well, because the recruiter turned out to be calling for a member of the Board of Directors of Erasmus MC, then called: Rotterdam University Hospital. That's what got the ball rolling and led to seven fantastic years.’
What characterized you as a director?
'If the doorman comes to say goodbye to you when you quit, I think you have done well. My vision was that you have to keep a close eye on what patients and staff are experiencing. For example, I always checked the toilets in any department on weekends and once a month I sat down for dinner with a patient. That seems like a joke, but it wasn't. Just imagine what’s it’s like to be lying in a hospital. As a director, you hope you can understand just enough to be able to join in conversations, and especially ask questions and then make wise decisions. You simply are a director and acting as if every day doesn’t work.
You have since retired. Do you still keep an eye on Erasmus MC?
Laughing: 'The only thing I keep an eye on are my grandchildren. No, I am proud of the building and the people, the care and the achievements in education and science. I definitely follow it, especially now that there are always Rotterdammers on television. I am taking things a little easier. I only do the things I like, and there are still quite a few. As long as I don't feel that people see me as someone from the Stone Age, I'm going to keep doing this. I'm quick to like things if there's something in them from my old profession or knowledge about governing. I consider myself an incredibly lucky person.'
Willem Geerlings
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Alumni in the spotlight
In the series 'Alumni in the spotlight' we speak with former students of Erasmus MC, the medical faculty of Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR). How do they look back on their studies, what did they go on to do and how are they doing now? For more information on the Erasmus MC Alumni network, please visit: https://www.erasmusmc.nl/alumni
